5 Steps to Building My Community at BlogHer12

4000 influential, online women. All in one place. Women who run their own blogs and their own businesses. Rooms full of brands that want to connect with online women. Welcome to #BlogHer12.

This is the perfect community building opportunity. Having experienced it last year, I also know it can be overwhelming and crazy busy.  There are people everywhere, there are parties every minute, there are sessions to attend… and hello.. it’s in NYC so there is a city to see.

My goal last year was just to experience the whole conference. It had been suggested that I create an intention for attending the conference – but I never turned my intentions into actions. I arrived home feeling shell shocked and wondering what had just happened during the previous days.  So this year I promised myself I would be crystal clear on my intentions for the Conference – and to create action items to ensure I met my goals.

My intentions for BlogHer are very clear:

1. Build my community of potential attendees and clients.
2. Build my community of brands that offer solutions to my clients.

How am I going to do that?  It’s pretty straight forward… I have a 5 step plan!

1. Connect with 10 new people a day.

Start to build meaningful and authentic relationships with new women. Find women who would benefit from my services, or from the MomBizRetreat – and who I really like and connect with on a personal level.  Exchange contact details with them and hand out my swanky new postcard – designed and printed at TheUPSStore!

2. Link to my new connections daily.

Every night, I will take the time to connect with the women I meet. I will follow them on Twitter, Like their Facebook page, and connect on LinkedIn. That way, I can keep our conversations going and continue to build our personal friendships easily. I will learn more about them, what they do and what they offer and figure out ways to work with them.

3. Create 3 authentic brand connections a day.

This is the largest blogging conference on the planet. There are sponsors everywhere. Everyone wants your business card to add to their data base. I will be stingy this year – I only want to connect with brands that will be of benefit to me, my clients or the MomBizRetreat attendees. I will not enter every single giveaway or contest, or grab all and any swag… I have the mindset of quality, not quantity this year. I will take the time to learn about the brands, listen to their message, understand what problems they solve then make my decision whether to establish a relationship or not.

4. Be clear on my value.

I know the value I can bring to a person or a brand.When someone asks me what you do, I am ready. I know how I can make a difference and solve a problem for someone. I can work with a person in three ways: content strategy, content developing and content consulting.  I can work with brands in a zillion ways: online influence, various program sponsorships, brand ambassador and endorsement provider. I have built credibility online and people trust me – I will never, ever do anything to sabotage that.  I also will not offer to do something that comprises me, my personal brand, or my business brand. I know my metrics, I know my reach and I know my Klout. I am proud of it, and will share it with those who will benefit from it.

5. Be clear and celebrate my differences

Its easy to get intimidated at large functions like this. You know I network like an introvert, I also believe in what I do and the value I offer. I know exactly how I am different from my competition. Look, we live in a crowded marketplace.  There are many people out there vying for our attention and our dollars. Standing apart from your competitors will give you a distinct advantage in everything you do.

So, what are your intentions at a conference? How do you prepare yourself? Leave a comment telling me your two intentions for conferences and how you are going to meet them!